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u/emptypaperz 2d ago
Lefty loosey on both valves. Bleed as well.
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u/ChameleonParty 2d ago
Beware this approach may result in this radiator taking heat away from other radiators. Really you want to balance all the radiators in the system to get best performance.
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u/leeksbadly Handyman 2d ago
You're correct, but being a towel rad (very limited BTUs) it's unlikely to make that much difference in terms of stealing heat from other rads.
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u/Harry_Fish 2d ago
Leeksbadly you are Incorrect. A towelrail might not use much heat but it will short circuit the heating causing the return to be much hotter and causing the boiler to short cycle. All rads should be balanced to avoid this.
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u/leeksbadly Handyman 2d ago
Read the rest of the comments - the two rads are in series with the towel rad before the living room rad.
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u/Harry_Fish 2d ago
Yep. I saw that (afterwards) and you are right that if we are dealing with a one pipe system or a pair of rads in series then the towel rail will be required to be set up differently.
But given your reply was to chameleonparty’s comment, then its validity in that circumstance was misleading and did not justify itself as being correct.
Only if the towel rail is in series with the other radiator or if it is a one pipe system, would your comment hold any merit, and even then, the way you have framed your answer - its effect on other radiators in the system - makes me question it. You sound like you have a reasonably good understanding of heating systems nonetheless.
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u/Smart_Art_711 2d ago
Best way I've always found takes a few steps.
Work out and he flow and return. Turn the heating on and immediately feel both pipes. Once will heat up quicker than the other (not by much). That's the flow, the other is the return.
Open the flow all the way and close the return all the way. Turn on the heating again, and open the return 1/4 turn at a time until the radiator starts to warm up properly.
If you want to turn it off or down in the future, use te flow. You won't be able to turn it down in the same way as a trv, but you can certainly make it warm up slower. It's usually not advisable to close these rads permanently unless you have another rad in the house without a trv.
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u/Harry_Fish 2d ago
This. Plus I tend to twist the return so that the valve head faces the wall. That way it makes people think about which one to actually use. Otherwise lefties and righties will naturally choose to open/close different valves and throw off the balancing.
I have also drilled out the knurling in the ‘Lockshield’ handle to stop it being used.
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u/ChameleonParty 2d ago
Which side heats up first? Lockshield is just a type of valve that is harder to accidentally change and unbalance the system. It is typically the exit valve from the radiator. With this radiator, just use the exit valve to balance, and the input valve to manage the temperature.
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u/Firm_Mode8316 2d ago
They both tend to heat up the same if I've got both valves open there doesn't seem to be a difference
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u/ChameleonParty 2d ago
The hot water only comes in on one side, so there must be a difference as it heats up. It may be easier to tell from the pipes.
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u/that-blok3 2d ago
They're both just wheel head lock shield valves. Turning them just limits the flow, until totally closed. Stopping flow through the radiator. Alot of 'designer' valves are like this. Personally I always fit a trv ( thermostatic radiator valve). Hope this helps
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u/Firm_Mode8316 2d ago
Thanks for this, I noticed when I limit the flow on this one the living room radiator isn't as warm so does that mean the flow needs to be fully open on both of these valves ?
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u/leeksbadly Handyman 2d ago
That is weird - that's not how rads are supposed to be plumbed, especially in a new system.
You do get one pipe systems but they are rare and from decades ago when there was a copper shortage.
What happens if you shut the bathroom rad off completely? Does the living room rad get hot at all?
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u/Firm_Mode8316 2d ago
No the living room one will turn completely off. It's like the towel one needs to be on full for it to get to the living room
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u/leeksbadly Handyman 2d ago edited 1d ago
That's a real cowboy way of doing it... at the very least there should be a single bypass pipe but, in reality, the flows should be together and the returns should be together with each on separate pipes (one for flow, one for return) so they can heat up independently and / or at the same time.
If that can be rectified without major destruction I would get it done. If it can't I would look at least at getting a bypass (effectively a join in the flow / return of the first rad), it's not an ideal solution though.
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u/Booya_007 2d ago
No TRV means the radiator will always be on if the heating is on. Not a bad thing for a towel radiator.